Siberia

Above is our provinistsa, the female in charge of the carriage. She was strict.

We all slept well, and by morning, Stig had been out of the train at some station along the way to get vodka, so at breakfast he was offering us “water with our water”, or “would you like to say hello to Ghenghis.” (The brand of Mo Gillian vodka).

We had woke pn to find ourselves rolling along by the frozen lake Baikal. There are silver birches by the lake and snowy mountains on the other side. Occasionally there are poor little wooden houses. By 11 am, the ice on the lake has gone, and it was a stunning blue.

We alighted at Irkutsk which is inland from the lake, and got a bus for the 2 hour journey to Listvyanka, a small town on the lake. We are staying in a small guest house and eat in a little restaurant opposite the lake.